(Saturday 27th November, 2-5pm)

This will be the first in a new occasional series of informal afternoon talks, each on a different, interesting theme, bringing authors of all kinds to Hawkesbury to share their books and interests via readings, talks and audience Q&A.

The inaugural HULF Talk will be a fascinating afternoon on the theme of WORLD TRAVEL & ADVENTURE, in the peaceful, light-filled Bethesda Chapel, spend a fascinating afternoon travelling the world through the books of four local authors.

Author and historian Lucienne Boyce will set the scene with a brief talk about the mythical and idyllic undiscovered country still sought by explorers as recently as the eighteenth century, including an evocative reading from her historical novel, To the Fair Land.

HULF Founder and Director Debbie Young will chair a panel of three real-life adventurers, who will share their experience of travel at some of the highest and lowest points on Earth, including readings from their travel memoirs:

• Steve Berry, renowned yeti hunter, author of Straight Up: Himalayan Tales of the Unexpected
• Mark Horrell, mountaineer, author of Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest
• John Ruthven, marine film producer and cameraman, author of The Whale in Your Living Room

After the panel discussion, the authors will be pleased to sell signed copies of books (perfect Christmas presents for any would-be or actual adventurers in your life) and chat informally to members of the audience over coffee and cake, which will be for sale throughout the event from the pop-up Bookshop Cafe in the Bethesda Chapel’s Schoolroom.

Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival is a series of not-for-profit book-related events run by Debbie Young. This is a HULF Mini event.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ADVANCE BOOKING REQUIRED

Guest numbers will be limited for social distancing purposes, so advance booking is essential to be avoid disappointment. The £5 ticket will entitle you to a free coffee or tea and £2 off the price of any book bought on the day. Admission on the day will depend on advance ticket sales and cannot be guaranteed.

ORDER YOUR TICKET HERE

Please click this link to order your ticket via Eventbrite.

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MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

LUCIENNE BOYCE

Lucienne Boyce is an award-winning historical novelist (To The Fair Land, the Dan Foster Mysteries), women’s suffrage historian (The Bristol Suffragettes), biographer (currently writing a biography of suffrage campaigner Millicent Price), speaker and blogger. 

Website: www.lucienneboyce.com

STEVE BERRY

Born in Shillong, just south of the Bhutanese border, Steve has returned to the Himalaya many times as leader of numerous treks and expeditions. His main passion is the Himalaya and he has trekked extensively throughout the entire range, including Bhutan, Ladakh, the kingdom of Zanskar, Nepal, and Tibet. In recent years he has been seeking the whereabouts of the Yeti and has appeared in two films on British television. The search continues!!

Website: www.mountainkingdoms.com

MARK HORRELL

For nearly 20 years Mark Horrell has been exploring the world’s greater mountain ranges and keeping a diary of his travels, as well as writing one of the most credible Everest opinion blogs on the net. He writes about trekking and mountaineering from the often silent perspective of the commercial client. As a writer he strives to do for mountain history what Bill Bryson did for long-distance hiking.

Website: www.markhorrell.com

JOHN RUTHVEN

John Ruthven is the only producer to work full time on both ‘Blue Planet I and II’ series. His career highlights range from producing iconic images of blue whales to directing drama inside a WW2 U boat or following venomous snakes throughout Asia. Multi-award winning, with most recently a BAFTA for ‘people’s must-see TV moment’, one that he wrote and produced with the Blue Planet team, and an Emmy for the best environmental film in USA.

LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/johnruthven